Nine men from STX Offshore & Shipbuilding and its subcontractors were detained by South Korean authorities as part of investigations into the fatal explosion at the STX yard in Jinhae on August 20 which killed four workers.
The nine people detained were made up of six officials from STX and three from Geumsan Enterprise, a subcontractor of STX, including its CEO Shin Jae-ho. They have been detained for alleged negligent manslaughter.
In addition, authorities have banned another ten officials suspected of evidence destruction from the two firms from leaving the country. Jang Yoon-geun, CEO of STX Shipbuilding, is also under investigation for violations to the Safety and Health Act.
Jang said that the company is co-operating with the investigations and the shipyard will strengthen its safety management.
“Starting today, we will start consulting with outside experts, and the management will conduct comprehensive safety and health diagnosis on safety and health throughout the production site and take measures to deal with the issues,” Jang said.
“We will establish a comprehensive safety and health action plan for everyone involved in the field and strengthen safety activities,” Jang added.
Authorities are still analyzing the evidence seized from the shipyard.